Rhymes and Songs

Note: If the copyright/public domain status of a rhyme could not be confirmed, a link is provided to access the lyrics.

Nursery Rhymes

Most nursery rhymes contain elements of poetry. They rhyme or the words follow a specific rhythm. Say favorite rhymes together. Switch out words to play with them to further explore poetry. A simple example is “This Little Piggie.” Instead of following the traditional rhyme, make up new things for the “piggies” to do.

The Rhythm of Nature

Play some of the sounds that Daniel may hear in the book. Can you create a dance or movement to go along with the sound? Examples of sources for sounds:

Crisp leaves crunching: A static picture of fall leaves on the ground with the sound of rustling leaves. (6 minutes 9 seconds long)

Chipmunk chirp: Part of a National Geographic article, scroll down to find a sound clip below the map and above “Fast Facts.”

Frog songs: Compiled by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, the site has sounds for a variety of different frogs. Some of the recordings are only two seconds long. You may want to pick one of the longer ones for this activity.

Cricket songs: Compiled by the University of Florida Entomology and Nematology Department. Click on the fall field cricket link to hear a 20 second clip of its calling song. This cricket is common to Pennsylvania.

Owl hoots: Presented by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This is a one minute 41 second clip that shows images of four different types of owls while playing their calls.

“I Am Going to the Park Today” from The Neighborhood by Junior Jukebox. ASIN: B000A7X2V2.Daniel finds poetry on his visits to the park. This two-minute song suggests other activities that can be fun to do in a park including: playing on the swings, playing on the slide, flying a kite, running around the trees, and feeding the birds and ducks.

A E I O U in the Park

(Tune: Old MacDonald)Adapted by Micha Archer

Monday morning in the park, A E I O UWe met a spider in her web, A E I O UWith a spin spin here, and a spin spin there,here a spin,there a spin,everywhere a spin spinMonday morning in the park, A E I O U

Tuesday morning in the park, A E I O UWe met a squirrel down in the leaves, A E I O UWith a crunch crunch here, and crunch crunch there,here a crunch,there a crunch,everywhere a crunch crunchTuesday morning in the park, A E I O U

Wednesday morning in the park, A E I O UWe met a chipmunk on the wall, A E I O UWith a hop hop here , and a hop hop there,here a hop,there a hop,everywhere a hop hopWednesday morning in the park, A E I O U

Thursday morning in the park, A E I O UWe met a frog down by the pond, A E I O UWith a swim swim here, and a swim swim there,here a swim,there a swim,everywhere a swim swimThursday morning in the park, A E I O U

Friday morning in the park, A E I O UWe met a turtle in the sand, A E I O UWith a dig dig here, and a dig dig there,here a dig,there a dig,everywhere a dig digFriday morning in the park, A E I O U

Saturday evening in the park, A E I O UWe met a cricket in the grass, A E I O UWith a chirp chirp here, and a chirp chirp there,here a chirp,there a chirp,everywhere a chirp chirpOn Saturday evening in the park, A E I O U

Sunday morning early in the park, A E I O UWe met an owl in the dark, A E I O UWith a whoo whoo here, and a whoo whoo there,here a whoo,there a whoo,everywhere a whoo whooSunday morning in the park, A E I O U

The Animals in the Park

(Tune: The Wheels on the Bus)Adapted by Micha Archer

The spider on her web goes spin spin spinSpin spin spinSpin spin spinThe spider on her web goes spin spin spinAll through the day

The squirrel in the leaves goes crunch crunch crunchCrunch crunch crunchCrunch crunch crunchThe squirrel in the leaves goes crunch crunch crunchAll through the day

The chipmunk on the wall goes hop hop hopHop hop hopHop hop hopThe chipmunk on the wall goes hop hop hopAll through the day

The frog in the pond goes swim swim swimSwim swim swimSwim swim swimThe frog in the pond goes swim swim swimAll through the day

The cricket in the grass goes chirp chirp chirpChirp chirp chirpChirp chirp chirpThe cricket in the grass goes chirp chirp chirpAll through the day

The owl in the night goes who who whoWho who whoWho who whoThe owl in the night goes who who whoAll through the day

Where Is Daniel?

(Tune: Where Is Thumbkin?)Adapted by Micha Archer

Where is Daniel? Where is Daniel?In the park, in the park.How are you today sir?Very well I thank you.Run away, run away

Where is Spider? Where is Spider?On her web, on her web.How are you today ma’am?Very well I thank you.Run away, run away

Where is Squirrel? Where is Squirrel?In the tree, in the tree.How are you today sir?Very well I thank you.Run away, run away

Where is Chipmunk?In the wall…

Where is Frog?In the pond…

Where is Turtle?On the sand…

Where is Cricket?In the grass…

Where is Owl?In the air…

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy spiderClimbed up the water spoutDown came the rain andWashed the spider outOut came the sun andDried up all the rain andThe itsy bitsy spiderClimbed up the spout againUse this link to enjoy a version of the song in English, Hebrew, and Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuO_nJCwVGw

Star Light, Star Bright

(Oral tradition)Star light, star brightFirst star I see tonightI wish I may, I wish I mightHave the wish I wish tonight.

Five Little Speckled Frogs

Cartoon version on YouTube. This particular version was chosen because it focuses on the remaining frogs in between each verse. Count the frogs as a group each time to reinforce numbers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF32P24lUCA